Beyoncé show in KC to start after Royals game. What that may mean for parking, traffic
For the first time since 2010, Truman Sports Complex is hosting a doubleheader.
On Oct. 1, after the Kansas City Royals close out their regular season with a 2:10 p.m. game at Kauffman Stadium, superstar singer Beyoncé will bring her “Renaissance” tour to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
With the Royals game expected to end around 5 p.m., during rush hour and within hours of the concert, what will that mean for parking? And for getting in and out of the stadiums?
Parking and stadium gate opening times for Beyoncé’s concert have yet to be announced. Kansas City Chiefs public relations director Luke Shanno said Wednesday that the organization’s events teams are working on details and will post the plans as soon as they are finalized.
It’s expected that the “Renaissance” tour will bring over 55,000 people to Arrowhead. Attendance at the Royals game can’t be known in advance, but some may expect a larger than usual crowd for the last game of the season.
According to a video posted by the Chiefs in 2018, the Chiefs parking staff expects 22,000 cars in the lots on game days.
The last time Truman Sports Complex hosted two major events like this was Sept. 13, 2010, when an estimated 90,000 people were in the complex to see the Royals lose to the Oakland Athletics 3-1 or to see the Chiefs defeat the then-San Diego Chargers 21-14.
Before 2010, the only other time it happened was on Aug. 16, 2003, when the Royals hosted the Minnesota Twins and the Chiefs hosted the Minnesota Vikings.
Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson, said Wednesday that police have been in touch with both the Chiefs and the Royals regarding the upcoming events. Gonzalez said a plan is being finalized to assist with traffic at the complex.
Royals previously changed schedule for Beyoncé concert
A doubleheader was already in the cards for Beyoncé’s original concert date in Kansas City, before it was postponed.
Originally scheduled for Sept. 18, the concert would have occurred after a Royals game that started at 1:10 p.m.
The Royals had moved that game to an earlier start time to accommodate the concert. And the Royals have altered their schedule for other events at Arrowhead in the past. Most recently, a Royals regular season game against the Chicago White Sox was moved from Sept. 7 to Sept. 4 to accommodate the Chiefs’ home opener against the Lions on Sept. 7.
Royals Vice President of Communications Sam Mellinger said Wednesday that the club would not change the start time of the Oct. 1 game because it is the last game of the regular season and every team in the MLB plays at 2:10 p.m.
How did Truman Sports Complex handle the doubleheader last time?
Here is how the Royals and the Chiefs handled their doubleheader on Sept. 13, 2010:
Parking for only the Royals game was $10, and a pass for only the Chiefs game was $22. Those who planned to go only to the football game had to buy a full-day parking pass for $32 if they arrived before 3:30 p.m. Those passes were $25 if they were bought in advance.
Fans who planned to attend only the baseball game were asked to leave the Sports Complex immediately after it ended.
From 5 to 6 p.m., all roads that led into the Sports Complex were exit-only to clear the parking lot of those who attended the baseball game but didn’t go to the Chiefs game.
The gates reopened for entrance at 6 p.m., and only fans with club and suite passes were admitted into Arrowhead at 6:30 p.m. Gates opened to all other ticket holders an hour later. The Chiefs asked all the fans to be seated by 8:35 p.m. for pregame festivities.
Between games, drivers who parked near Kauffman Stadium (in lots A, B, M, G, H and J) were requested to move their cars to the Arrowhead side of the complex, unless they held a Chiefs parking pass for the lot in which they were parked.
